I am sharing my painting named "The Venerable Thich Quang Duc" because it is the 50th anniversary of his sacrifice for religious freedom.  A sacrifice being made by Tibetans right now.

Thich Quang Duc  was the monk who set himself on fire in Viet Nam prior to the war to protest persecution of Buddhists by the Catholic Diem government.  As a young man in 1963, I was shocked by his action and my thoughts about him have persisted throughout  my life.  My resulting study of Buddhism  formed the concept of this painting.

Reporter David Halberstam who witnessed the event wrote:  “.... As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him. ”

I am reminded of a verse in the “Heart Sutra”: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”

Thich Quang Duc lived and died the essence of the “ Heart Sutra,” such peace within turmoil!